The ambassadors of the EU Member States agreed on Monday 2 March to hold an extraordinary meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council to discuss the situation in Idlib on Friday 6 March, exceptionally in Zagreb.
The meeting will take place in the Croatian capital, as it will be held at the end of the informal EU Council (Gymnich), which has been planned for a long time, but has now been reduced to one day, 5 March, and which will deal in particular with relations with Turkey and Russia.
On Sunday 1 March, as Turkey decided to let migrants leave for the EU following the escalation of tensions in North-West Syria (see other news), the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, confirmed the convening of such a meeting.
According to Mr Borrell, this Council, convened “in particular at the request of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece” Nikos Dendias, will be “an opportunity to focus on the latest developments and to continue our joint work on all fronts”. “We need to ensure that our collective action has the highest possible impact if we want to effectively address the crisis and to contribute to paving the way for a political solution”, he said in a statement issued on Sunday.
Moreover, the EU must redouble its efforts to address the “terrible human crisis” facing the Syrian population in Idlib “with all the means at its disposal”, he added. The High Representative has already announced that the EU should continue to mobilise resources to reduce the “suffering” of civilians by providing shelter, food and medicine.
Beyond European action, the High Representative recalled that “the ongoing renewed fighting in and around Idlib represents a serious threat to international peace and security”. “It is causing an untold human suffering among the population, and having a grave impact on the region and beyond”, he denounced, also calling for humanitarian access, including to the most remote areas.
As the regime and its allies gradually regained all Syrian territory, Mr. Borrell once again recalled that the only solution to the crisis was political and that everyone, especially the Syrian regime, needed to “urgently” re-engage in a political process under the auspices of the United Nations.
European leaders have increased their contacts since Friday. Mr Borrell held talks with the Turkish and Russian Foreign Ministers, while the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, held talks with the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
According to a statement, during the appeal, Mr Michel expressed his condolences to the President for the death of some 30 soldiers and “his deep concern for the unspeakable human suffering that the ongoing fighting has caused in Idlib”. The President of the European Council therefore called on all actors to defuse the situation and to commit themselves to a lasting ceasefire and a political solution in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions. Mr Michel also reiterated the EU's readiness to step up its humanitarian support, adding that the provision of aid and access to populations in need was a “key priority”.
The Turkish and Russian Presidents are scheduled to meet on Thursday with the aim of easing tensions in North-West Syria. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)